In the last year of WWII, a hospitalized soldier receives the gift of a small diary, a prize from the Red Cross. He begins the endearing chronicle of his journey, island hopping across the Pacific to the newly liberated, but not so secure, Iwo Jima. Told from a 19-year-old's point of view, he shares a glimpse of the sniper attacks, B-29 crashes, and air raids that were daily occurrences on a much contested island a few miles off the coast of Japan in late 1945. Annotated with historic references and photography.